Heartburn, also called gastroesophageal reflux or acid reflux, commonly develops as a side effect of being pregnant. Up to 80 percent of pregnant women experience heartburn during pregnancy, according to a 2008 review in the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews." Fortunately, many heartburn treatments are safe during pregnancy, so living with this side effect need not become unbearable.
Heartburn
For many women, pregnancy is the first time they experience heartburn, so the symptoms might not be recognizable at first. It typically feels like a burning sensation in the chest and throat. Most pregnant women notice an increase in heartburn during the second trimester, and it tends to come and go throughout pregnancy. Heartburn caused by pregnancy resolves itself after the baby is born.
Causes During Pregnancy
The primary reason heartburn occurs during pregnancy is because of the increased levels of progesterone in the body during this time. Progesterone causes the esophageal sphincter, the valve between the esophagus and stomach, to relax. This allows stomach acids to seep up into the lower esophagus, which leads to the pain known as heartburn. Progesterone also slows digestion, so digesting food remains in the stomach longer and has a higher likelihood of shifting back up into the esophagus. As the baby gets bigger, upward pressure on the stomach can also lead to more frequent heartburn.
Remedies
Over-the-counter antacids made from calcium carbonate are typically safe to use during pregnancy, according to pharmacist Gerald Briggs. Avoid antacids with aluminum, sodium or aspirin while pregnant. If your heartburn doesn't respond to over-the-counter remedies, your doctor may recommend a prescription-strength acid reducer. Avoiding any foods that seem to trigger heartburn is one way for you to minimize how often it occurs. Triggers differ between women, but common culprits include chocolate, caffeine, fatty foods and citrus fruits. Eating five or six smaller meals each day instead of three large meals can also help.
Considerations
While heartburn can be a painful or annoying side effect of pregnancy, it might actually be giving you a clue about the appearance of your developing baby. Traditional folklore has long associated heartburn in pregnancy with the amount of hair on the newborn baby. A 2006 study in the journal "Birth" looked at the common folk belief and found that a correlation does exist, with mothers reporting more severe pregnancy heartburn giving birth to babies with more hair. The researchers speculated that this might be because the high levels of progesterone that trigger heartburn could also trigger hair growth in the fetus, although more research is needed to confirm the link.
References
- BabyCenter; Which Heartburn Medicines Are Safe During Pregnancy?; Gerald Briggs
- BabyCenter; Heartburn During Pregnancy; February 2011
- March of Dimes; Heartburn and Indigestion; August 2009
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Interventions for Heartburn in Pregnancy; T. Dowswell, et al.; October 2008
- "Birth"; Pregnancy and Folklore Revisited: The Case of Heartburn and Hair; K.A. Costigan, et al.; December 2006
